Even iTunes, which might be considered Apple's most important application because of its syncing abilities to the iPod and iOS, is still sitting around using 32 bits. However, it is the same reason that it took Apple six iterations of Mac OS X before the company finally managed to update the ubiquitous Finder app to 64 bits: rewriting applications is hard. It's not that Apple hasn't been throwing resources behind Final Cut Pro. Now, imagine the frustrations that editors feel when running Final Cut Pro on a Mac Pro with 16GB of RAM and eight cores, only to discover that FCP can only address 4GB of memory and only a few operations and codecs support any multithreaded operations. Second, computers have gotten a lot faster, with multithreaded cores and GPUs that can generate lifelike 3D graphics at 120+ frames per second at resolutions double that of even 1080p video. An indie film 10 years ago might have achieved some notoriety for being shot on a consumer MiniDV camcorder, but these days you'll find the same Canon 5D Mark II that you have at home on a $1 million set. Forces are at work changing the world of video editing, and even the most hardened video-editing professionals will tell you that editing needs to evolve.įirst, the cost of productions has dropped drastically in the last few years. FCS 3, as it was known, included Final Cut Pro 7, DVD Studio Pro 4, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, and Compressor 3.5. It's been three years since Apple last updated its venerable Final Cut Studio 3 suite of applications. However, Apple has laid the groundwork for versions 2.0 and 3.0 to be much more compelling and usable. At this stage, Final Cut Pro X is a 1.0 product that still needs some more development. For amateur video editors, iMovie is still the best balance of features, ease of use, and price. On the other hand, those looking to upgrade from iMovie will find a lot more features in Final Cut Pro X, but there are some caveats.įinal Cut Pro X's bold philosophy of video editing will definitely take some getting used to, but in return, editors will be rewarded with blazing performance and a future where tapes are as outdated as wax cylinders. It borrows some interface elements from iMovie that may disappoint seasoned professionals, and also it loses many key features that are simply an absolute necessity in the professional world, like XML export.

The bottom line: Final Cut Pro X is truly a dramatic rewrite of Apple's mature and well-developed video-editing software. Project compatibility, support for media stems/audio channeling,įull-screen view toggle for Lion users, and GPU acceleration.

Include support for XML, custom starting time codes, Xsan event and Editors' note (September 20, 2011): Apple has released a

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